GEORGIAN 3, DURHAM 2

OSHAWA, Ont. - The Durham College women's volleyball team had an inspired effort and fought hard in a five set battle but fell short losing 3-2 to Georgian College Thursday night at the CRWC. Set scores in the match were 26-28, 25-23, 12-25, 25-21 and 18-16.

On a night Durham honoured several graduating seniors, the Lords put on a show for the fans in their final home game of the regular season. From the first set, spectators would be swept up in the excitement as both teams pushed each other to the brink.

For the Lords the strength of their game came in the form of their service game as four players recorded multiple service aces led by graduating senior Emily Gilbert (Whitby, Ont.) who collected a career-high eight aces on the night along with 11 digs and three kills.

The Grizzlies and Lords exchanged sets throughout the match with the Lords putting on an offensive display in the third while the Grizzlies mounted a comeback in the fourth and deciding set. Right side Jessica Broad (Courtice, Ont.) led the Lords with 16 kills, nine digs and three blocked shots showcasing her all-star capabilities.

Seniors Natasha Jakovljevic (Oshawa, Ont.), Allison Doris (Ajax, Ont.), Joelle Parnham (Orillia, Ont.) and Madison Pilon (Rondeau, Ont.) also had strong performances for the Lords in their final home game.

The Grizzlies were led by their own graduating senior Natalie Buck who showcased a strong all-around effort with 12 kills, four service aces, six digs and five blocked shots.

With the loss the Lords fall to 7-8 and will look to rebound quickly as they head to the nation's capital on a two-game road trip beginning with Algonquin on Friday, Feb. 7 with first serve at 6 p.m.

Durham College is proud to host the OCAA Women's Volleyball Championship (Feb. 20-22) and the OCAA Volleyball/Basketball All-Star Games (Mar. 22) at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre.

Source: Durham College

OSHAWA, Ont. - For the Georgian Grizzlies men's and women's volleyball teams it was a busy end to the regular season, first beginning with a trip to Oshawa, Ont., to face the Durham Lords in games originally scheduled the week prior followed by a trip to North Bay, Ont., to face the Canadore Panthers in their regular season finale on Sunday.

The women's team had a strong performance on Thursday against the always difficult Durham Lords. In a very tight game both teams battled back and forth in a match that went the five set distance. Georgian were able to rally back to take the final two sets in a 3-2 victory (26-28, 25-23, 12-25, 25-21, 18-16). Natalie Buck (Keswick, Ont.) had a season-high 21 points in the marathon match for the Grizzlies.

Playing their third match in five nights, the Grizzlies faced the Canadore Panthers in the regular season finale. After getting up two sets to none, Georgian simply ran out of gas as Candore rebounded for a 3-2 victory (21-25, 22-25, 25-18, 25-17, 15-6). Buck again led the Grizzlies in scoring with 13 points while teammate Allison Marshall (Orillia, Ont.) had 12 points in the loss.

The final split guarantees the Grizzlies will finish third in the OCAA East Division standings and will play host to a crossover playoff game against the St. Clair Saints on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. at the Georgian Athletic Centre. Fans are encouraged to come cheer on the Grizzlies in the big match-up with the winner qualifying for the OCAA Women's Volleyball Championship held at Durham College.

On the men's side, the Grizzlies put up a great battle against the second place team in the East Division in the Durham Lords. Georgian twice had the lead slip away as Durham battled back winning the final two sets to win the match 3-2 (20-25, 25-21, 25-27, 25-15, 15-13). Jason Grimm (Orangeville, Ont.) led all players with 18 points in the contest.

In their match against Canadore the Grizzlies again were in tight in the first two sets but ultimately dropped them 27-25 and 25-23 which could have went either way. From there Georgian couldn't come up with a comeback in the third set dropping it 25-16 to lose 3-0 in a game that was much closer than it appeared.

The men's team will now prepare for the OCAA Men's Volleyball Championship of which the Grizzlies will play as the host team with the tournament scheduled from Feb. 20-22 at Georgian College in Barrie, Ont.

Source: Georgian College

Photo Credit: Al Fournier